How to make a gymnastics wheel at home. How to teach a child to do the wheel exercise correctly

Caring for the physical development of a child is one of the main tasks of parents. Of course, at school or preschool institutions there are always physical education classes. But not all children are willing to perform sports exercises. And yet, many really want to learn how to do gymnastic tricks that would delight their peers. One such exercise is the wheel. Despite all the apparent complexity, teaching it to a child is not at all difficult.

What is a wheel?

You don't have to be an acrobat to learn how to do a cartwheel.

The cartwheel is an acrobatic exercise in which the body rotates 360 degrees over the head. In addition to the fact that this trick looks exciting and shows the beauty of a flexible body, the wheel trains and strengthens:

  • arm muscles;
  • leg muscles;
  • shoulder joint.

Thus, turning on your hands over your head trains the most important muscle groups, which is why the exercise is one of the required components of professional acrobats. But children, even those far from sports, quite quickly master the technique of doing the cartwheel. This is due to the fact that they are very flexible by nature. True, a certain preparatory stage is still needed. This is especially true for moral support.

Preparing to perform the wheel

Before doing the cartwheel, you need to warm up well

It is vitally important for a child to know that in any situation there is a person next to him whom he can trust. A priori, such people are parents. Before you explain and show your child how to make a cartwheel, you should prepare him psychologically. For this:

  • tell the child that he is strong and he will succeed;
  • convince your child that you will ALWAYS be there and can back him up;
  • If possible, demonstrate how the wheel is made (children perceive best what they see live, especially when performed by their loved ones).

Once your child is excited about the opportunity to learn how to perform such an exciting trick on his own, you can begin physical training.

  1. Be sure to practice stretching. Sit on the floor with your child, spread your legs and touch your toes with your fingers. In this case, the face should touch the knees.
  2. Sitting on the floor, turn your torso as if you want to touch the floor with your stomach.
  3. Lie on the floor so that your legs extended vertically touch the wall. With your hands clasped at the back of your head, raise and lower your torso.
  4. Lie on your stomach, clasp your hands behind your back and try to bend over. Unclasp your arms and spread them to the sides. Return to the starting position and relax.

Moving on to training the wheel itself, you should start by practicing an extended arm stand and a side stand.

  1. We push off from the floor with our right foot and throw our left foot onto the wall. Make sure your arms are straight.
  2. Standing with your back to the support in a “feet shoulder-width apart” stance, your feet touch the wall. Raise your right arm so that they form a straight line with your right leg. We repeat the same with the left arm and leg.
  3. We place the left palm at the left foot and transfer the weight of the body to this side. Repeat for the right arm and leg.
  4. We stand with our back to the wall, placing our right palm closer to our right foot. The arm and leg should be straight. Now we lift our left leg onto the wall, resting our left hand on the floor.

Gradually, the exercises need to be removed from the wall. But in this case, you can’t do without insurance. When you come to the stand at the support, grab the child’s shins so that the body forms a straight line. The next step is to loosen the grip - simply support the ankles. After all the preparatory exercises have been mastered, you can move on to the wheel.

Technique for performing the trick

If possible, show with your example how the wheel is performed

You need to perform the trick only after a good warm-up. Squats, jumping and definitely stretching exercises are suitable for this.

  1. Let's stand up straight.
  2. We take two steps forward to accelerate.
  3. We lower our right hand down, raising our right leg up.
  4. Push off with your hand on the floor, raise your left leg so that it forms one line with your right.
  5. We put our left hand to our right, our legs rise completely.
  6. We lower our left leg to the floor, lifting our right hand from the support.
  7. We place our left foot on the floor and lift our right hand from the support. The exercise is completed.

Don't forget to praise your child and congratulate him on his success. Or to encourage you if it didn’t turn out quite right the first time.

Video: How to make a wheel correctly?

How to avoid child injury?

The cartwheel is an amazingly beautiful acrobatic trick during which the athlete rotates 360 degrees with his hands. It is usually learned in childhood, but in fact there is nothing about it that cannot be mastered even as an adult. Therefore, anyone can learn how to make a wheel.

How to make a wheel: acrobatics and muscles

Such a beautiful exercise as a wheel not only looks beautiful, but also allows you to develop several muscle groups that are involved in its implementation:

  • arm muscles;
  • back muscles, especially the lumbar region;
  • muscles of the shoulder joint, which allow you to achieve graceful posture;
  • abdominal muscles;
  • leg muscles.

Thus, having mastered the wheel, you will not only strengthen almost all the muscles of the body and make your posture more perfect and stately, but also train the vestibular apparatus, which will allow you to accurately coordinate your movements.

Attention! If your vestibular system is out of order, or you experience headaches, this trick is probably not for you. It is better not to perform it without consulting a doctor. If you feel unwell during the exercise, this can lead to bruises and more serious injuries.

How to learn to do cartwheels at home?

When starting training, you shouldn’t do it alone: ​​invite someone who could back you up and hold you if you start to fall. This will save you from unnecessary bruises and sprains, and will also preserve your health.

Unfortunately, taking into account the peculiarities of modern housing, not every apartment or private house can afford to perform such a trick as a wheel. After all, it requires quite a lot of space, which means that in a cramped living space, before performing it, you will have to remove any pieces of furniture and fragile objects - mirrors, glass tables, hanging chandeliers that may get in your way.

In addition, if you have not played sports before, you need to first train your arms and legs for several weeks: regular pull-ups, pull-ups and squats will do. After this preparation it will be easier to perform the trick. It would be nice to train the vestibular apparatus as well. Make a rotation around yourself every day. Start with 3-10, look at your condition, if you feel dizzy, postpone classes. Increase the number of revolutions with each workout.

How to make a wheel correctly?

Before doing the wheel exercise, read the technique several times, then close your eyes and imagine how your body should move. Practice doing handstands: run up a little and stand up on your hands so that your body is level (you can start with exercises against the wall). If this can be done without difficulty, then how to make the wheel will be clear. So, the technique:

  1. Stand up straight and walk forward to accelerate.
  2. Lower one hand towards the floor, and the other rises as high as possible, making a swing.
  3. Push off the floor with your supporting hand, place your second hand on the same line - one leg is already raised.
  4. Lift your other leg up - and now you are standing on your hands.
  5. Return to the starting position by placing the last raised leg on the floor and lifting the first lowered arm off the floor, then the second, followed by the remaining leg.

As you can see, making a wheel correctly is not at all as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Plus, after a few practices it will be even easier. The most important thing in learning how to do a cartwheel is the ability to stand on your hands - if you master this, then such a colorful trick will not be difficult for you.

Which every person knew how to do during school years is a wheel. It is mastered in elementary school, and for schoolchildren this trick is not something difficult. But for an adult who has forgotten his physical education lessons, this movement can cause difficulty. By the way, this applies not only to the wheel - now try getting up from behind the computer and performing a regular somersault forward or backward. For some reason, I'm sure that most people will have problems with this. At the same time, an ordinary wheel is a very useful element that can be included in a regular warm-up.

How to learn to make a wheel

What's the benefit?

By supplementing your warm-up or training (and it doesn’t matter which one - be it work with “”, or classes on) with simple acrobatic elements like somersaults and cartwheels, you significantly help your body. In particular, the benefits of the wheel lie in the following factors:

  • the flexibility of the spine improves;
  • the functioning of the vestibular apparatus improves;
  • Coordination and sense of balance improves.

Why exactly is this needed? If you are not an acrobat or a parkour fan, then just for general development and improving the performance of the body. Just add doing the wheel to your warm-up - it will at least be useful for your spine and vestibular system.

Preparation for execution

If you are interested in learning how to do a gymnastic wheel, you should first prepare properly. The trick, although not difficult, still requires certain skills (albeit minimal).

Preparing the place

It’s not just your own body that needs to be prepared, but also the place where you’ll be doing it. It is not recommended to do it at home - due to inexperience, you can very easily get caught on furniture or a chandelier (unless, of course, you have a huge apartment or house, and there is plenty of free space). All that is required is a flat surface of approximately 3x3 meters (with a margin). Ideally, if you are just starting your attempts, you can cover the floor with soft mats.

Getting ready ourselves

So, we’ve decided on the place, and now let’s decide how to learn how to make a wheel and how exactly you need to prepare for it. In principle, the only reason that can hinder you is fear - after all, you will have to move your head down, which on a subconscious level causes rejection and fear in the body. Let us list the nuances (in principle, there are only three of them) that will help you cope with the task:

  1. . This, in particular, will allow you to overcome your fear. It is best to train the stand against a wall, and to begin with, use the help of someone - for insurance.
  2. Determination of the convenient side. For right-handers it will be more convenient to start with the left hand, and for left-handers with the right.
  3. Leg swing. This is a very important factor that will help set inertia. The swing must be done with the back leg. If you are right-handed, then you need to swing with your right foot and start with your left hand.

This is all you need to know in advance to understand how to quickly learn how to make a wheel and cope with the task. There is nothing complicated, essentially, about it.


Let's try!

Muscle memory still has its limits and limitations - the body has probably forgotten how to do the cartwheel. Therefore, you can first watch some video that demonstrates how to perform the trick. Well, you can simply rely on your own capabilities - after all, there is nothing special or complicated about it.

In order to simplify the task as much as possible for those who want to figure out how to learn how to make a cartwheel, we will describe the sequence of movements (although the video will help you much more in this regard):

  1. We become the “convenient” side (we will consider performing it using the example of a wheel with the left hand - as a more common option). We place our feet approximately shoulder width apart.
  2. We raise our arms up and spread them slightly to the sides. They should be approximately 45 degrees relative to the body line - this is the simplest position, which is suitable for those who doubt their capabilities.
  3. We begin the movement: we bend the body to the left, while simultaneously lifting the right leg from the surface, making a powerful swing along an arcuate trajectory upwards. You should move smoothly, but not too slowly - momentum will allow you to easily and easily perform this trick, and therefore it should be created.
  4. When the left hand touches the surface, we lift the left leg off the floor.
  5. Then everything will happen by inertia - you won’t even have time to think about how your body will perform the trick itself. In this case, you will just need to maintain the desired “star” position (arms spread to the sides, and legs shoulder-width apart).

The main nuance in this case is to try not to deviate from the plane in which you are making the movement. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this - except that when training in a confined space you may catch something with your feet.

After you have mastered the usual version of the execution, you can complicate it. For example, you can do it on one hand, or learn to do it in the other, “inconvenient” direction.

It is best to refrain from performing the wheel for people who have problems with the shoulder joint. In particular, we are talking about the habitual dislocation of the shoulder - a fairly serious and common injury among athletes. If you have a similar problem, it is better not to perform the wheel.

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We will not talk about tubes, rims and tires in this article; they will tell you and demonstrate how to learn how to make a wheel, in the sense of a gymnastic element. It is used in rhythmic gymnastics, but anyone can also learn to perform it without leaving home. Naturally, you will need: compliance with safety rules, availability of space and certain preparation.

Preparation

Before you start training, prepare yourself and the place.

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Preparing the site. This condition must be fulfilled, since without the appropriate place you will not be able to learn how to make a wheel. It should be a spacious place, without unnecessary objects and high enough (so as not to touch the chandeliers with your feet). If you have the opportunity to conduct classes in a room with mats, then this is a great choice. There should be no sharp corners and nothing restricting movement. You will also need a free wall.

Preparing yourself.

  • Clothes should not be excessively baggy or restrict movement. Leggings or short stretchy shorts, a T-shirt or a fitted, stretchy top that won't roll up when you're upside down work well. The choice of shoes depends on the location of the activity. If there is a smooth floor, then shoes should not slip on it.
  • Warm up before starting training and do preparatory exercises.

Acrobatic wheel: instructions

First, it will be useful to learn how to perform the wheel correctly using the video lessons that we will provide you with at the end of the article. Carefully study the technique of execution, the position of the arms, legs, all the smallest movements: how to start, how this or that part of the body is involved during the execution of this element, and also how to complete its execution. Pause in the video to look at body positions.

  1. A good place to start is to learn how to stand on your hands. Start by standing near a wall so you can rest your feet against it, or you can ask someone to hold you.
  2. Then try to stand up, as if you are going to do a cartwheel. Determine in which direction it is more convenient for you to spin (from your left foot or from your right). Try making a wheel (even if it doesn't look like a wheel).
  3. So, stand on the right side. Let's say this is the right side, that is, stand straight (turning slightly). You must perform the following sequence of movements: take a step with your right foot, lower your right hand to the floor, at the same time push off with your left foot (your legs do not need to be brought together), place your left hand on the floor, while lifting your right leg. When your right leg is in a vertical position, lower your left leg to the floor, at this time you will feel that it is time to lift your hands off the floor: first the right, then the left.

You have to be prepared that things won't work out at first. It is important to hone the movements, that is, to constantly train. You should have one smooth movement.

Video lessons

The wheel is a beautiful and elegant acrobatic element. Because of its beauty and relative simplicity, the wheel is practiced in many sports areas - from dance forms of gymnastics to certain types of martial arts, such as capoeira. But no matter how simple it may seem to perform, for people who are not involved in sports and cannot boast of good physical fitness, learning and performing this trick will not be such an easy task. Acrobats performing the cartwheel have strengthened muscles of the legs, arms, back and abdomen, well-developed vestibular apparatus and coordination, and of course good stretching.

Psychological preparation for the wheel

When people first try to make a wheel, they begin to feel fear and discomfort. It becomes scary to be upside down without any outside support, and there is no need to talk about the fear of falling. But this, as a rule, does not apply to children: they are reckless and fearless, they have a lot of energy and strength. The wheel is easier for children than for adults.

In order for an adult to be able to cope with fear, it is necessary to perform preparatory exercises. For example, doing a headstand/handstand against a wall - over time, the fear of turning over will go away, and the hands and muscles of the shoulder girdle will additionally strengthen. By jumping from a handstand to your feet, you can make sure that, being upside down, you can easily control your fall and land on your feet.

Preparing the training area

The ideal place to learn absolutely any acrobatic tricks is a gymnastics or acrobatic hall. There you can find soft mats for accidental falls, and an instructor who will help you learn the element. But it is not always possible to successfully find such an option. Then a sandy beach is suitable for training - soft sand will help absorb sudden falls. An area with soft grass or natural soil is also suitable, but the grass can contain dangerous objects from stones to broken glass. In autumn and winter, you can try training on a snowdrift or a pile of leaves. It is not recommended to practice on asphalt, especially for beginners - bruises, scratches and bruises will definitely not be avoided.

How to quickly learn a trick: in 5 minutes or 1 day

If a person has a strong and strong body, ready for physical activity, then with all the desire he can learn the wheel even in one training session.

The wheel can be taught in two ways: against the wall, and with the help of jumps. It is somewhat more difficult to teach it against a wall, but having learned it this way, it will almost immediately look beautiful and impressive.

To get started, you should take some time to do a handstand against a wall. A good cartwheel moves your legs vertically over your head, and a handstand provides a good base for this. You also need to decide which direction is easier to make the wheel. To find out without trying, you can imagine its implementation in your head, and in which direction it is performed in your thoughts, and try it.

Training the wheel against the wall proceeds as follows:

  1. Make sure that you can stand in a handstand against a wall for at least 30 seconds.
  2. Standing on your hands, spread your legs as wide as possible. Next, from this position, try to lean to the side, raise the opposite arm and land on your leg. Then push off slightly with your standing hand and swing with your hanging leg, thereby trying to stand up.
  3. Now you need to try to get into a handstand from the side. To do this, you need to stand against the wall, lean to the side, lift one leg and lower yourself onto your hand. Turning over, place your other hand and try to stay in this position.
  4. Next you should combine the previous steps. But this needs to be done at a more accelerated pace, without lingering on your hands. Gradually accelerating the transfer of your body and legs, you need to gradually move away from the wall and lean on it as little as possible.
  5. The last step is the wheel in the open. If you're scared, you can tilt your legs slightly toward the ground. When the fear passes, the wheel will be smooth, clear and beautiful.

Learning the wheel by jumping is easier and less scary, but achieving beautiful execution will take longer. The training plan is as follows:


Arm exercises to improve cartwheel execution

When performing the wheel, the weight of the entire body is on the hands for a couple of moments. Your arms should in no way bend under the wheel, otherwise a fall or even landing on your head will be inevitable. Therefore, it is worth pumping up the arm muscles before and during wheel training. The following exercises will be useful for this:

  • As has been said many times - handstands are the best exercise to improve your cartwheel. You need to stand confidently, not leaning on the wall, but only lightly touching it to maintain balance.
  • Plank. Recently, this exercise has gained great popularity. The plank is very easy to do - all you need to do is hold a certain body position in one position for a while. This static exercise will help tighten up most of the muscle corset, which will make performing the cartwheel much more confident.
  • Pushups. Push-ups in any variation will have a beneficial effect on the physical development of muscle tissue in the arms and chest. You should do push-ups at least 15-20 times. For girls, classic push-ups can be a rather difficult option, but in this case they can be replaced with push-ups from the knees.

Flexibility exercises

Flexibility does not play a particularly important role when making a wheel, but beautiful execution of an element without a certain level of flexibility simply cannot be achieved. Therefore, part of your training should be devoted to exercises for spinal flexibility.

The exercises are very simple, and many are familiar with physical education lessons at school. However, they should not be underestimated, especially for people who are still far from sports activities. And the exercises themselves are as follows:

  • Bends while standing. You need to put your feet shoulder-width apart, straighten your shoulders and straighten your back. Do bends in all directions, especially pay attention to bends to the side - after all, when performing a wheel, this is where the body leans.
  • Twisting the body. Exercise not only for flexibility, but also to strengthen the back muscles. To do this, you need to stand up straight, tilt your straight body forward, and rotate around your spine to the right and left.

Exercises to increase leg strength

The legs also play an important role when performing the wheel. This is especially felt when exiting the wheel onto your feet - then the weight of your entire body rests on just one leg for a second. And in order not to fall at this moment, you need strong leg muscles.

There are a very large number of different exercises for pumping your legs. But for the wheel it is enough to pump it up in the following ways:

  • Regular squats. They pump up the quadriceps very well, and if you squat deeply, they also work out the calves. Ligaments and joints are also strengthened, which will seriously reduce the likelihood of any injuries. To complicate the exercise, you can squat on one leg, or simply with weights.
  • Swing your legs. Swings not only increase explosive leg power, but also dynamic stretching. With good lateral stretch, the wheel will look even better. Swings are performed simply: you need to stand at a support, bend slightly towards it and grab it, and swing one leg to the side or back. For the wheel, as you might guess, swinging your legs to the side is best suited.

Teaching a child to make a wheel

Children surprisingly easily and quickly master sports and acrobatic tricks. Due to their small age, their bodies are very flexible. Children are practically not afraid of acrobatics, and it is very easy to belay them. You can train him in the same way as an adult, but the easiest way to do this is in a playful way.
It is very important to interest the child. If he does the exercises unwillingly, he is unlikely to achieve any success. When a child is very interested in something, then his desire is simply impossible to stop!
If a child is not into sports, but is interested in learning how to wheel, then he may need to further strengthen his muscles or improve his flexibility. In this case, it is worth studying with him, showing by example how and what needs to be done. In no case is it necessary to force him; it is enough just to correctly explain what is needed and why.

An important step is to teach him handstands. Children are often clumsy, which is unacceptable when performing any acrobatic movement. A handstand will allow him not only to learn to control his body, but will also additionally strengthen all the necessary muscles, making his movements precise and confident.

Step-by-step preparation for the wheel is shown in the following video:

The wheel is an excellent acrobatic element, one of the simplest, but at the same time the most diverse. It is quite easy to learn, but people with weak muscles will need additional strengthening of their arms and legs to master it. You can train it in any place with a soft surface, and preferably with a trainer, and simply with a person who can provide support both physically and mentally.

Having learned the wheel, a person acquires not only a new acrobatic element in his arsenal, but also relatively good physical shape, coordination of movements and a good vestibular apparatus. Children especially love to “carry around”: the element is very fun to perform and demonstrate to others, and children often learn it quickly and without much stress.


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